Toy Soldiers
by Lennonion
Summary: Arthur is a shy exchange student studying at an American high school. When England and America meet, they instantly 'click' and have some sort of connection. Over time, they realize they've fallen hard for each other. What happens when someone attempts to separate them? Will these toy soldiers be able to weather the storm?
1. I

_This is it. This is my last year here. Let's make it a good one._ I tried to flood my mind with positive thoughts as I walked through the double doors of my high school, a senior. Upperclassmen. Just four years ago, I was a little shrimp of a freshman. And now my class was going to rule the school. They used to tease me about my glasses, but I learned to love my spectacles. Without them, life was a blur if I wasn't squinting. Pushing them up against the bridge of my nose and double-checking my schedule, my eyes met that dreaded word. English. Some people are bookworms and love those dead guys like Shakespeare and Poe, but not me. _Analyze quote one and compare it to quote two._ Nah, I think I'll pass on that one. My favorite subject was history, obviously.

Choosing an outfit for the first day wasn't really a big deal. My trusty leather coat still fit me. Over the years, it had acquired numerous oddities that I'd put on it. Things like the American flag and goofy little stars were among them. I lazily slipped on a pair of skinny jeans and converse, and that was that. Did I really need anything for the first day? I think not. Summer had taken it's toll on me. Besides pigging out on hamburgers and fries, I became a pretty lazy guy. After all, I was a senior now. I was more than a hundred percent sure that senioritis was going to hit me hard this year. Usually, I managed to get B's and sometimes an A if I was lucky.

Making my way over to the room where I'd be tortured for another entire year of Homer and Dickens, I strutted into the classroom. _Damn. Too early._ Of course, there was no one in the room but the teacher. Prepare for awkwardness. To my dismay, it was an old guy who I didn't recognize. I was expecting a hot babe this year. Guess my expectations were too high, because this old guy looked nothing like Megan Fox. "Morning, how are you today?" He asked politely. "Pretty good so far. What's your name?" I greeted him, taking a seat in the back of the class. "Mr. Baldwin. And you are?" Had I not been wise enough, I would've burst out into laughter. I bit my lip to prevent it from happening. His name made a lot of sense, because he was going bald! Ha!

"U-Uhh.. Alfred Jones.." I smiled. "Yep. You're on the list. Hmm, looks like your class is small this year." Yeah, it makes sense. No one wants to take English in the twelfth grade. I nodded my way through and watched as he scribbled his name on the board and reviewed some papers. Something out of the corner of my eye caught my attention. A boy sheepishly walked into the class, obviously unsure of where he was. "Ehh.. pardon me, is this room 143?" He asked, shaking with the paper in his hands. "I believe it is. What a strange accent you have, where are you from?" The kid was obviously British. He wore a suit and had a sort of hip style. I admired it. He was something different from what we usually saw. "I-I'm an exchange student from London.. my name's Arthur." Arthur. Fancy-assed. "Interesting! Lots of literature comes from there, you know." Mr. Baldwin smiled. He nodded.

Slowly, he moseyed over and took a seat in the empty desk next to me. "H-Hello.." He waved a bit, holding out his hand for me to shake. "Hey." I grinned, taking his hand in mine and giving it a good shake. "I'm Alfred. But most call me Alfie.. or Alf, after that freaky thing we used to watch as kids." Chuckling, I peered into his green eyes. Green eyes were a rarity, and honestly they were the color I preferred, but I was too much of a wimp to compliment him. Mr. Baldwin watched from afar. "So what are you Brits like? Are you as obsessed with tea as we think you are?" He smirked. "Yep. We like our tea on a daily basis. It's an obsession." Kids started coming into the classroom as the bell rang and I searched for any cuties. Really, I'd never been in a relationship, but maybe this would be the year that would change.

We listened as Baldy rambled on about the rules and regs. No touching of any kind, no fighting, blah blah blah. I tuned him out and tapped my foot to the beat in my head. I had been listening to too much punk rock lately. If only I had my headphones. Time seemed to fly, and before I knew it, the period was over. "H-Hey.. um, Alfred? May I compliment you on your coat? It's pretty... rad." _Rad?_ "This old thing, you mean? If anyone looks spiffy, it's you." I felt flattery take over and began to blush. "Really? Thank you.." He smiled. "Welp, I guess I'll see you around." Looking into his eyes one last time, I winked before walking off to my next class. Except this time, I had a strange fluttery feeling in my chest.


	2. II

So far, no one really noticed me. All kinds of odd stares and whispers were added to the collection. I could easily sort the kids into their 'cliques'. There were the jocks and cheerleaders, misfits, nerds, and outcasts. I guess you could call me an outcast because sitting alone with my papers and books had become a trademark until Alfred saw me sitting alone, and we'd become partners in crime. Little by little, I opened up to him. "Dude, I can't believe you've been sitting alone for all this time and I didn't notice you.." He took a sip of his soda. "Yeah, guess the new blokes aren't as welcome here..." I self-consciously fiddled with the sleeve of my sweater. "Well, you're welcome to me." The blue-eyed boy grinned. _Really? That's gotta be the nicest thing anyone's said to me in a while._

"T-Thank you, Alfred." I smiled. "Please, call me Aflie." He lightly touched my shoulder. "Okay, Alfie." I'd later learn that the name Alfred would only be used if we were being serious or he was in deep shit. "Being the quiet person you are, you probably have a chance to observe people. See any hotties?" He smirked, getting a little closer. "Ehh.. I'm not really the kind of guy that ogles boobs and butts. But I guess it's typical of highschoolers around here. The question is, do _you_ see any hotties?" Timidly, the corner of my mouth began to rise. "Well, there's this one total babe I've been eyeing." He said, blue eyes fluttering up to the ceiling dreamily. "Oh? And who might that be?" I inquired. "That's for me to know, and you to find out." The lunch bell rang and he mysteriously got up and started towards his next class, leaving me a bit stupefied.

I scoped the hallways out, searching for anyone that would appeal to him. There were a few girls that fell into the 'dumb blonde' category, but mostly everyone was holding hands and abusing PDA. This made me feel a bit left out. Was getting a partner really on the top of their to-do lists? At the high school level, I'd think pupils would be more concerned about their grades, but I guess not. The rest of the day was a boring blur, and Alfred's odd phrase echoed through my mind the whole time. If I didn't have homework, I would've went straight home, but the books in my locker stopped me from doing so. I had to retrieve my English textbook, because per usual Baldy had assigned us to read some ridiculous piece of literature and analyze it. Baldy was the name Alfred and I had secretly made for Mr. Baldwin who was actually going bald. We got a kick of it.

Hastily, I spun the dial on my locker and opened it. A neon pink piece of paper at the bottom caught my eye. The note read:

_If you plan on finding out, give me a call._

_~You-know-who_

The number was scribbled at the bottom of the little paper. I went home, and let's just say literature wasn't the first thing on my mind.


End file.
